


The Trial Of Maul Jones

by Ablubluh



Category: Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types, clone wars - Fandom
Genre: Ahsoka is a cop, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/F, Rex is a Dog and he's still beautiful, Riyo is a defense lawyer, anyway they're Gay and darth maul is named brian, not like in a weird way
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-04-06
Updated: 2016-04-06
Packaged: 2018-05-31 15:40:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,484
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6476155
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ablubluh/pseuds/Ablubluh
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Riyo has a crush on her hot neighbour. Ahsoka jogs in a sports bra. It's honestly unfair. </p>
<p>WARNING: I get most of my info on how court works from TV, this is not written for accuracy.</p>
<p>Inspired by ahzoka on tumblr, who is frankly the best.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Trial Of Maul Jones

Ahsoka’s life is a mess. Okay, okay. That’s a bit dramatic. Things could definitely be worse. But if you asked her mother, she’d tell you that yes, poor Ahsoka just isn’t living up to her potential. She’s throwing her life away! First she drops out of her phD halfway through the year (the less said about that debacle the better, that’s one of the few things she and her mother agree on), then she moves halfway across the country to live on her own, working as what her mother describes as an ‘underpaid thug’.

Still, there are some definite silver linings. Some days they even outnumber the clouds themselves. Silver linings like her dog, a pitbull with a beautiful nature and a protective streak. Or her workmates, who quickly became her friends. Or the knowledge that she can do what she wants and eat what she likes without receiving pointed sighs or passive aggressive commentary.

Today, she’s had a bacon sandwich for breakfast. Who’d tell her off? Rex? She snorts at the thought, tossing him a rasher and giving him a hearty thump on the ribs as he eats. Dumping her plate in the sink as an issue for Future Ahsoka, she hums a poor approximation of a pop song she’s had stuck in her head for days. Then she pulls her sneakers on, clips Rex’s leash on, and she’s out the door.

The chill of the morning air hits her face and her stomach, and she breathes it in, a relaxed smile tugging at her features as she and her dog set off at an easy lope. It’s going to be a good day.

*********************************************************************************************************

Riyo Chuchi has been having an interesting week. Her boss’s boss has been sick, which means _her_ boss has been filling in for her, which means that she’s been stepping up into her boss’s shoes. To her surprise, she’s filling them with ease. Defense attorney Chuchi sounds, she’s found, much nicer than assistant defense attorney. 

Although things are going smoothly, Riyo isn’t precisely a placid pool of calmness. Every slight hitch, every bump in the road, is much scarier when all the blame for any screw-ups rests on her head. She hasn’t messed up yet, but somehow that makes the concept of it even more terrifying. Especially with the case she’s fighting today.

A twinkly sort of sound rings out from her purse, and she dives into it, dismissing the alarm on her phone and glancing around. Not that there’s anyone else in her house, but she can’t help but be a little embarrassed as she turns around in her chair at the breakfast table to peer out the window.

And there she is. Just like clockwork. Riyo rests her cheek in her hand, arm propped over the back of her chair, as her neighbour rounds the corner. There’s something absolutely beautiful in the rhythm of her feet hitting the pavement, the way her locs bounce around her shoulders, the tension of the abs so generously displayed between where the lady’s sports bra ends and her leggings begin. The dog is cute too, she supposes. When her neighbour jogs up her own driveway, letting herself back into the house, Riyo sighs, and sets about gathering her things for the day. It’s going to be a long one.

*********************************************************************************************************

Rex circles Ahsoka’s legs in the most frustrating way possible as she dashes through the house. She’s going to be late for work. _Again._ She’s in the shower for two minutes, doesn’t even let the water get hot, just rinsing the sweat from her jog off. No time for makeup, thank _fuck_ she put her uniform out on the bed before she left. She’s got her shirt buttoned wrong as she clambers into the car, throwing a tupperware container of apple cinnamon muffins onto the passenger seat. It’s damn lucky she drives an automatic, she muses, as she one-handedly fixes her shirt.

When she gets to work it’s like a whirlwind of “Sorry, chief!” and “I know, I know!” as she makes her way to her desk. To call it a cluttered workspace would be generous - but she has a system. Sort of. Her cousin grins up at her from a photo frame beside her monitor, and she drops into her chair, setting the tub of muffins down heavily on a pile of files. Which she then barely saves from sliding onto the floor. She groans, and the sound is answered with laughter from behind her.

“Busy morning, ‘Soka?” 

She tilts her head back until she’s looking at Kanan upside down, makes sure he gets a good dose of the inverted stink-eye, and then swivels her chair around to face him. “Yep. Is it ever anything but? I don’t think Rex wanted me to leave today. I mean, seriously, if dogs could cry…” She imitates the whining sounds he’d made as she closed the door on him. “Poor thing.”

“Right, yeah.” Kanan pauses, and glances upwards, tilting his head to the side before looking back at Ahsoka. “So, is that why you’re here?” There’s barely concealed amusement in his voice.

“What?” She stares at him blankly for a moment, uncomprehending. “Where else would I- oh, _shit_.” Ahsoka scrambles out of her seat, nearly knocking it over in the process. Kanan breaks down into helpless laughter, offering no help whatsoever. “You asshole.” The words don’t have much venom in them, and she slaps him on the shoulder as she dashes for the door. On the other side of the room, Hera rolls her eyes.

*********************************************************************************************************

It’s been a good morning. Riyo knew it would be. Her client - a charismatic middle-aged man who, if she’s being honest, Riyo is pretty sure _did_ commit the multiple murders he’s charged with, even if he’s refusing to plead guilty - is smiling beside her, even in cuffs. He’s confident in her, which helps her be confident in herself. Even if she doesn’t like him very much. She wouldn’t mind him quite so much if he didn’t insist on being called _Maul_. It doesn’t do much for his case. Especially when his real name is Brian.

Opening statements are over and done with, and Riyo is pretty pleased with hers. She’s focussed not so much on proving Brian - sorry, _Maul_ \- innocent, as on maintaining that there is reasonable doubt of his guilt. Should be easy enough, with the complete lack of forensics linking him to the scene.

(If she had to guess, she’d say he wore a bodysuit of some kind - a morph suit, maybe? But hey, solving the crimes isn’t her job.)

Apparently the prosecution’s first witness of the day is a no-show. Riyo tries very hard not to smile as she shuffles through her papers. It’s almost too easy. The man at her side chuckles. It’s a very unassuming sound but it sends a chill through Riyo. She shuffles her chair an inch or so away from his. 

The judge is drawing breath to announce the absence of the first witness, when the door opens and the witness arrives, breathless, murmuring apologies. Riyo shakes her head, nose still buried in her papers. She can hear policewoman being sworn in, her voice very solemn and serious as she recites the oath. It sounds like it’s the first time she’s stood in court to testify - or perhaps just the first time she’s testified against a serial killer. Sorry, _alleged serial killer._

Riyo is idly following this train of thought when it gets entirely derailed by the simple act of actually looking at the woman’s face. The colour drains from the lawyer, and she swears softly under her breath, earning a surprised glance from her client. Even in full uniform and without the dog, she recognises her neighbour. Her gorgeous neighbour who she’s been ogling out her window nearly every morning for at least a month. 

She only realises she’s staring when the judge sharply calls her name, asking drily if all members of the court are ready for the prosecution’s examination. “Y-yes. Absolutely. Sorry, your honor.” She desperately wants to bury her face in her hands and sink through the floor. Beside her, Maul chuckles again. Asshole.

*********************************************************************************************************

Ahsoka cannot believe she nearly missed the hearing. She can hear her mother’s voice in her head, unsurprised but disappointed. She’s still struggling to get her breath back to a resting rate as she recites the oath. She tries not to look at the defendant, but then she isn’t sure quite where to look, so she ends up staring the registrar dead in the eye as she speaks. 

Her palms are sticky as she stands in the witness box. She’s never enjoyed being in the spotlight like this. Sure, she’s been called a bit of a showoff in the field, and she loved being a TA back at college, but this is way outside her comfort zone. The prosecution confirms her name, her rank, and the fact that she arrested Brian Jones, also known as Maul. She can’t help but roll her eyes at the last bit, and a couple of members of the jury chuckle, though they quiet when they look over at the defendant to see him staring back stony-faced. 

When she follows the gaze over, she finds herself peering at not Maul, but his lawyer. The petite lady seems distracted, and immediately drops her gaze and hunches her shoulders when Ahsoka looks at her. Weird. She returns her attention to the man asking her questions, squaring her shoulders and answering in the clearest, most neutral voice she can manage.

Then it’s over. Well, half over. Time for the cross examination. Ahsoka closes her eyes for a second, collecting her thoughts, as the defense approaches. When she opens them again, the little lawyer is right in front of her. What was her name again? Ahsoka hadn’t caught it. 

For all her strangely avoidant body language before, when the woman speaks, her words are clear and strong, if rather soft-spoken. “Ahsoka Tano. Can you confirm for me that you were the officer who arrested this man?” She points to Jones, and Ahsoka notes her powder blue fingernails. She’s sure she knows this woman from somewhere.

“Sure.” The judge admonishes her, telling her to say yes or no. “Right, sorry. Yes, I arrested him.” She quirks an apologetic smile at the defense lawyer, hands finding one another behind her back and fiddling with the beads of her bracelet. The questioning continues, direct but not as aggressive as she’d worried. Maybe she watches too much TV. She’s just starting to feel a little bit more comfortable, a little bit less like she’s going to say something stupid, when she realises where she knows the lawyer from.

“Oh, _**shit**_.” The courtroom falls silent, and Ahsoka claps her hand over her mouth. Did she seriously just say that out loud? In court? Maul looks delighted, and the court stenographer glances uncertainly up at the judge, who scowls down at Ahsoka. “Sorry! Shit. Sorry, I- I just, um.” Heat rises in her cheeks and she thanks any god that might be listening that her skin is dark enough that her blush might go unnoticed. “It’s nothing. Sorry. Won’t happen again.” The lawyer - _her neighbour_ \- looks like she’d rather be anywhere in the world but right there, right now. After a moment, though, she resumes her line of questioning, albeit a little shakier.

*********************************************************************************************************

Riyo somehow manages to get through the rest of the day. The trial will continue tomorrow, but the day is by no means a loss. She can feel her shoulders relax in relief when Maul is led away, though. The less time spent near him the better. He creeps her out.

She makes it all the way home in the evening before allowing the embarrassment to overtake her. She’s very calm as she pulls up in the driveway, perfectly cool headed as she opens the door, and as soon as it’s shut behind her she simply drops her bag next to the hall stand and lies down on her stomach. Wrapping her arms around her head, she groans into the rug. “What the hell was that, Chuchi. What the hell. You see one pretty lady and you totally lose your head. Absolute rubbish. You’re an embarrassment.”

After a couple of minutes of prone self-flagellation, she drags herself to her feet, and then to her bedroom. Off go the cream dress and heels, on come the flannelette pyjamas and Cookie Monster slippers. Next it’s to the living room for some shame-bingeing on Netflix, with a stop at the fridge to grab a tub of yoghurt. The kind with bits of fruit in it. It makes her feel like she’s eating healthy.

She’s just got comfortable, yoghurt in hand and an old episode of Kitchen Nightmares on, when the doorbell goes. Pausing the TV, she sets her snack down. Scratching her hip, she heads for the door. Riyo is completely unprepared to see her neighbour standing there, holding some sort of...loaf, in bright orang oven mitts, smiling. She opens her mouth, and no words come out. One hell of a lawyer.

It doesn’t seem to worry the other woman, though, as when Riyo fails to start a conversation she launches into one herself. “Hi! I’m Ahsoka, um, which I guess you know. I’m _really_ sorry for being weird today. I hope it doesn’t screw anything up for you.” A pause. “Well, I mean, I sort of hope it does, because Maul deserves to go away for a very long time, and your job is to prevent that, so. Um, but that’s not because of…” She scrunches her eyes up, which Riyo can’t help but notice involves crinkling her nose in the absolute cutest way. “Anyway, I wanted to apologise, so I made you a fruit cake.”

Riyo finally finds her voice, and it immediately betrays her by blurting out the first thing that comes to mind: “Oh, is _that_ what it is?” There’s a moment of silence between the two women, in which Riyo vividly envisions a great crevasse opening in the ground and swallowing her up. Then Ahsoka is laughing, and Riyo could just about cry. “God, sorry, I didn’t mean that- here, do you want to come in?”

Ahsoka’s smile is absolute sunshine. “Oh, I would love to, but Rex gets antsy on his own and I’ve already been out all day.” Perhaps she catches Riyo’s deflation, because she offers instead, “But you can come over to my place! I’m sure Rex will love you, he hasn’t had anyone besides me to play with since we moved here. I think he misses his brothers.” Riyo has always found people who talk about their animals like they’re people to be a little sad, but something in Ahsoka’s earnestness is making her rethink that position.

“I- yeah! That’d be great!” Riyo grabs her keys out of her bag, goes to put them in her pocket, and remembers that she’s wearing her pyjamas. Her cheeks flush. “Just, um, I’ll get changed, hang on.” Leaving the door open, she trots to her bedroom to grab something marginally decent. 

*********************************************************************************************************

Well. Ahsoka is left standing at the door, cake in hand, blinking. She glances over at her own house, and then back into the hall in front of her. Her curiosity gets the better of her, and she crosses the threshold, peering into the living room. Is that Gordon Ramsay? Nice. She used to watch tonnes of the guy’s shows with her cousin back home. Sometimes Anakin would start swearing at the inept restaurant owners before Gordon did. 

When Riyo reappears (Ahsoka found out her name after she got out of the witness box, finally), Ahsoka is sitting on her front step, and springs to her feet at the sight of her neighbour. Who looks, as it turns out, _really_ good in a black v-neck and jeans. Ahsoka can’t help her gaze as it rolls down the admittedly short expanse of Riyo Chuchi, though once it reaches her feet it snaps back up to the smaller woman’s face. “Right! Ready?”

She can’t help but notice that Riyo is blushing again. It’s unbearably cute. Ahsoka practically bounds down the driveway. “Now, it’s a bit of a trek. I hope you’re wearing sturdy shoes,” she jokes. Riyo snorts, and a little Ahsoka inside her head jumps into the air and pumps her fist. Is there any better feeling than making a pretty girl laugh? Probably not. When they get to Ahsoka’s door, she hands Riyo the fruit cake to hold while she opens the door. 

Pretty much immediately, Rex is on her, slobbering happily. She laughs, and gives him a smooch on his doggy forehead. “Yeah, yeah. Missed you too, you big dork. For all of the five minutes I was out of the house. Come on, behave. We’ve got company.” She snaps her fingers, and he sits immediately still. Riyo makes a surprised sound, and Ahsoka turns back to her with a smile, taking the cake back from her. “He’s excitable, but he’s a good boy. My good little soldier, aren’t you?” Rex gives a soft _boof_ and Ahsoka laughs, nudging him with her foot as the two women make their way through to the kitchen.

“He’s lovely.” Riyo says quietly, following Ahsoka through the house. Plonking the cake down on the counter, Ahsoka rummages through the second drawer for a clean knife. 

Finding one, she cuts each of them a slice, placing them on mismatched plates before licking her fingers clean. The knife goes into the pile of dirty cutlery on the sink. It’s not _too_ large a pile, but Ahsoka still grimaces at it, and throws Riyo an apologetic look. “I wasn’t expecting anyone round, so I haven’t really cleaned.” 

“It’s fine!” Riyo says quickly, holding her plate in one hand and cake in the other. There’s the hint of a wince, and she turns the slice in her hand so that she’s not nibbling on a burnt bit. “It’s nice, really. Whenever I visit anyone from work their home barely looks, um, lived in. You know? It’s like stepping into a mediterranean fusion restaurant.”

Ahsoka laughs. “Oh my god, I know what you mean! My mom’s friends are like that. Like, I think they clean the house before the maid comes, so that even the maid thinks they never made a mess in the first place. It’s ridiculous.”

Riyo nods, and rolls her eyes, swallowing a mouthful of cake. “Yes! I mean, what’s the point? Don’t get me wrong, I like to keep my house _clean_ , but they really turn it up to eleven.” Rex chooses this moment to walk up beside her, and lean his weight on her leg. She wobbles a little, and sets her plate down. “Ha, hi there.” She half crouches to gently scratch behind his ears, smiling. Ahsoka forgets to chew, looking at that smile.

When she stands up, Riyo catches a glimpse of the clock, and groans. “Oh my god, I’m so sorry, I’ve got, um. There’s a bit of stuff I wanted to go over before tomorrow, and- the cake was really nice, though!” Ahsoka knows full well that’s not entirely true, but she’s not going to turn up her nose at the compliment. 

“Hey, thanks! It’s the first time I’ve tried the recipe, I think I might have to make a couple of alterations. Listen, you drop in any time, okay?” She trails behind Riyo as she heads for the door. “I’m sure Rex would love to see you again.” Just before Riyo closes the door, she blurts out, “I’d love to see you again.”

Then the door is closed, Riyo on the other side of it, and Ahsoka doesn’t think she could feel like any more of a dolt. She slowly leans forward until her head bumps against the wood of the door, and looks down at Rex, who’s sitting obliviously at her feet. “You don’t have any problems like this, do you? Of course you don’t. You’re not an idiot, like I am.”

*********************************************************************************************************

Riyo isn’t totally sure she heard right. She’d been busy internally berating herself for leaving, for looking like an ungrateful asshole, for not staying and eating cake with a beautiful woman and her friendly dog. So the words ‘I’d love to see you again’ kind of took her by surprise.

She stands outside the door for a moment, torn between knocking and asking for clarification, and going home like she knows she ought to. She’s got work to do. Her job is important. She turns to face Ahsoka’s front door, raises her hand to knock...and chickens out. Her raised hand relaxes from a fist to an open palm, which she presses gently against the door, before going home.

Drop in any time. She can do that. Maybe next time she’ll bring something for Rex.


End file.
